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Surgery allows her to better enjoy what Northern Nevada has to offer

A marketing manager for the Reno-Sparks Convention and Visitor’s Authority (RSCVA), Debbi Engebritson is very active in the community. But her bad knee used to keep her from enjoying many of Northern Nevada’s great places and events.

“My job involves promoting the destination’s assets, like the beautiful outdoor recreation that I was unable to enjoy myself,” she says. “One day I drove up to Galena Creek thinking it was flat enough to navigate with my limited range of motion, but the pain and lack of stability were too much for me to even get out of my car. I scheduled my surgery the following week, and I haven’t looked back!”

After suffering from a lack of cartilage in her knees for many years, Engebritson had her left knee replaced by Dr. Thomas Fyda at Great Basin Orthopaedics (GBO) in November 2018.

“I’ve been really happy with the care at GBO,” she says. “I liked that Dr. Fyda was more matter of fact than other doctors I’ve seen. It felt more structured, which gave me a lot more confidence.”

She says Dr. Fyda’s medical assistant, Sandy Spencer, was very upbeat and caring, which added to her confidence level. “From the first visit, Sandy made me feel very comfortable,” she says. “She even gave me her phone number to call at any time if I had any questions or concerns.”

The importance of being prepared

Before her surgery, Debbi asked a lot of questions and then followed the directions she received. She feels like that has contributed to how well she’s doing now, six months later. “GBO and Northern Nevada Medical Center (NNMC) both gave me so much information ahead of time, I felt really prepared,” she says. She also took a meditation course to help her manage her mindset and to visualize a positive outcome.

Between her preparation, surgery and physical therapy, Engebritson has recovered quite nicely. “I’m doing great. I have a little pain, but not much at all,” she says. “And I’m getting around really well.”

If you’re ready to take the next step to improve your qualify of life, give GBO a call at (775) 786-1600.